Tawang Monastery

ARTICLES ABOUT TAWANG MONASTERY BY DATE - PAGE 2

TOKYO: Ahead of his proposed visit to Arunachal Pradesh, the Dalai Lama today hit out at China for opposing his trip to the state saying it was "politicising too much" the issue as he was going there solely for teaching. The Tibetan spiritual leader said he was surprised and saddened by China's criticism of his visit to Tawang monastery in Arunachal Pradesh. "I was surprised at China's criticism. If my visit creates problem, I am very sad, that's all," the Tibetan leader, on a visit here told journalists, implying that he intends to go ahead with his visit on November 8. "The Chinese government politicises too much wherever I go. Where I go is not political," the 74-year old Nobel Peace Prize winner said.

NEW DELHI: The Centre has cleared the week-long visit of the Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh starting on November 8. Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Dorjee Khandu said he will receive the Dalai Lama, who is scheduled to visit the Tawang monastery. In a bid to dispel any lingering doubts about the visit, chairperson of the state-level reception committee T G Rinpoche said in Itanagar that the government has cleared the visit of the Dalai Lama on October 19 and that the MEA letter had reached the state the next day. "It is a purely religious visit and during his four-day stay at the Tawang monastery, the Dalai Lama will give sermons to his followers," Mr Rinpoche was quoted as saying.

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday said the boundary question with China is a "complex issue" and that both sides have an obligation to maintain peace and tranquillity pending a solution. A day after the prime minister met his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao on the sidelines of the Asean-India and East Asia Summits and talked about the border row, Mr Singh said foreign ministers of the two countries would discuss the problem in detail when they meet in Bangalore on Tuesday.

ITANAGAR: The daily subsidised helicopter service between Guwahati and Tawang is expected to start soon, according to Civil Aviation department sources on Saturday. The process of floating tender is already under way and it may take a couple of weeks to be finalised. The union cabinet had on January 30 agreed to subsidise daily helicopter service between Guwahati and Tawang, just a day ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's maiden visit to the state.

NEW DELHI: Chinese ambassador Sun Yuxi's statement reiterating his country's claim over Arunachal Pradesh drew an angry response from the Indian government. "Arunachal belongs to us," said external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee. Although the Chinese ambassador merely reiterated a known position of his government, the timing of his statement has come as a surprise to many. There are fears that the statement would vitiate the atmosphere before president Hu Jintao's visit to India.